Russ Lemmon: Longtime Vero Beach business closing on Friday

ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Jon Trumble (right) and his wife Barbara pack up their belongings from their Royal Palm TV &amp; Stereo store along US1 in Vero Beach while shutting down the business that first opened in 1965. The store is closing because of competition from the Internet for sales and because it’s often almost as inexpensive to buy a new product as to repair it.

ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
The Royal Palm TV &amp; Stereo store at 1833 U.S. 1 in Vero Beach is closing its doors because of competition from the Internet for sales and because it’s often almost as inexpensive to buy a new product as to repair it. The business first opened in 1965.

Making the decision to close a small business — especially one that has been around for 48 years — is tough enough without doing what Jon and Barbara Trumble did a couple of weeks ago.

The owners of Royal Palm TV & Stereo delayed the inevitable for as long as they could.

"The hardest part of closing this business was laying off my son," Jon said.

Chad Trumble had been there for 13 years.

The business started by Jon's parents in 1965 will be closing Friday.

"It took us a long time to come to this decision," Barbara said. "It just was not a smart move to keep going."

They did not want to put their retirement nest egg in jeopardy.

Jon, who will turn 60 in May, started working at Royal Palm at age 16.

Sadly, there won't be a "next generation" for this family business. Jon purchased it from his parents (Jackie and Glen Simmons) in 2000, and his first full-time hire was Chad, who had just graduated from college.

About a year ago, Jon felt obligated to let Chad know he could buy Royal Palm.

"You'll never buy a business cheaper than you would today," Jon said he told Chad.

Then, he offered some fatherly advice:

"If I were you, I wouldn't buy it."

Chad passed on the opportunity, and Jon was glad he did. Even if it now pains him to see his son temporarily unemployed.

Royal Palm, located at 1833 U.S. 1, is "old school" in many respects. Its sign — the shape of a stop sign — has the feel of a bygone era. You know, back when brands like Zenith, RCA and Magnavox ruled the consumer-electronics market.

In the world of consumer electronics, competing against the likes of Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target is a tall order. But the most formidable competition comes from something that didn't exist back in '65.

"The Internet has got it all," Jon said.

During our interview, Jon and Barbara Trumble talked about how people would come in an "kick the tires" of a particular product, but then they ended up buying it on the Internet. Not only could the consumer avoid paying sales tax on the Internet, but, chances are, the company would offer free shipping.

"The only reason they want us is for our expertise," Jon said.

Customer loyalty, they'll tell you, is a thing of the past.

Plus, products are considered disposable today — which severely cut into the service side of Royal Palm's business.

Years ago, Jon said, people would by a $30 toaster and when it broke, they would pay $10 to get it repaired. Today, toasters cost $20 and when they break, people just buy a new one.

The same holds true for televisions and stereos.

Prices for televisions has dropped dramatically through the years. Jon recalls selling a 40-inch plasma TV for about $15,000 in 2002; that same TV would cost about $650 today, he said.

You can buy a TV these days for less than $100. So when it breaks, many people just opt to pitch it. Repairing it is no longer seen as a viable option.

Consequently, the service part of Royal Palm's business had all but vanished. A few years ago, it was doing eight or nine service calls a day.

Royal Palm sold its final TV last week. A longtime customer heard the business was closing and decided to make a purchase. It still has some speakers available for sale.

Jon says this winter — the heart of "the season" — has been slower than most summers.

An hour deep into our interview, he asked a telling question:

"Have you heard the phone ring since you've been in here?"

I hadn't.

That pretty much said it all about Royal Palm's slow demise.

Russ Lemmon is a columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. This column reflects his opinion. Contact him at 772-978-2205 or russ.lemmon@scripps.com.